That momentous night
by MzDany
Summary: Sequel to I Try. Set a day before the finale, ‘Storm before the Calm’. Other than that, the title is pretty much selfexplanatory…Slash! CamHunter
1. Default Chapter

**Thank you, everyone, for all your nice reviews on my previous stories. I really appreciate them all!!**

The next story in my Cam/Hunter series. You might want to read "I Try" before this one as this story is a continuation of their relationship from then on…

_**That momentous night  
**_By Dany  
Rated R for sexual, but not graphic situations between Cam and Hunter.

Summary: Set a day before the finale, 'Storm before the Calm'. Readers should be familiar with this episode to fully understand all the references to it in this story and its relevance at the end. Other than that, the title is pretty much self-explanatory…

"All right, guys," Kelly said with a sigh of relief as she pulled the van to a stop. "We're here!"  
A collective whoop rose from her six passengers.  
"Awesome!"  
"Finally!"  
"Dudes, I so have to find the closest bathroom…"

The van's doors swung open and the Wind and Thunder ninjas scrambled out into the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Hotel.

Shane stretched. "Man, I know there's such a thing as cabin fever, but I think I was seriously starting to get _van fever_."

Tori gave him a friendly shove. "It hasn't even been three hours, Shane."

"Hey, I have a hard time sitting still through _one_ class in school. That should tell you something," the Red Wind Ranger replied.

"That just tells us that you have the attention span of…Dustin?" Cam said with a grin, then darted from the half-hearted swipes of the Red _and_ the Yellow Ranger.

"So where's the field?" Blake asked, eyes darting all around, impatience and anticipation clearly written across his face.

Everyone looked around, but Hunter spotted the reason for their trip first. "Over there." He pointed to the far side of the outskirts of the forest where a large sign and brightly colored tape marked the entrance to a huge dirt track.

It was too far in the distance for them to make out the black letters on the sign, but they all knew what it spelled:

WELCOME TO THE 5TH ANNUAL U.S. ACTION GAMES!

They all grinned at each other. Tomorrow was the big day, and every one but Tori and Cam had signed up for one of the many competitions: dirt bike racing, skateboarding, freestyle motocross…

"Come on, let's get our rooms, ok?" Kelly called to them, and the gang trotted after her and into the hotel lobby. She motioned them towards a cluster of sofas by the sitting area while she approached the front desk to check them all in.

A few minutes later, Kelly returned with their key packets in her hands.  
"All right, let's see…Tori and I are rooming together, here's Shane and Dustin's room…"  
She handed the two boys their key cards. "Blake and Hunter…" She tossed the Bradleys their key packet, "…and the Privileged One with the single room."

Cam snatched his key packet from her with a sly smirk. "My solitude is worth those extra twenty bucks, believe me."

Hunter was rubbing his belly. "Man, I'm starving. Let's drop our stuff in the rooms and find something to eat around here."

Affirmative head nodding all around showed him that he wasn't the only hungry one, and only ten minutes later the gang had re-assembled in the lobby, ready to grab some grub.

"All right," Blake was rubbing his hands together. "Let's find us a place where we can feast like kings."

Hunter threw an arm around his little brother. "And I saw just the place for that."

He led the team out of the lobby and across the parking lot.

**The Invitation…**

"Dude, when I said 'feast like kings', I definitely didn't have _this_ place in mind," Blake whined as Hunter shoved him into a booth at the Burger King across from the hotel.

"I can get you one of those paper crowns, if it'll make you feel better," Shane deadpanned, drawing snickers from the others.

Blake just glowered. "Isn't there at least one of those 'all-you-can-eat buffets' around here somewhere?"

Dustin threw a crumpled napkin at him. "Where do you think you are, dude? Vegas?"

Kelly smiled and shook her head at the teens. Their friendly bantering went on all through the meal, the excitement about tomorrow's games almost tangible between them. They all needed this break, were overdue for it. The fights had been numerous in the past few weeks, and Lothor seemed to be sending them tougher and tougher monsters. It almost felt like he was getting desperate. Yes, they certainly needed a reprieve.

Kelly, of course, knew nothing about any of this. She simply saw a group of very talented young men who wanted to show their skills at the games tomorrow.

The sun was slowly sinking behind the treetops of the distant forest by the time the gang finished their dinner. They spilled out of the restaurant, still laughing and teasing each other. And for a moment, none of them paid any attention to Cam and Hunter, who were bringing up the rear of the little group. The Thunder ninja and the Samurai Ranger dared to give each other a long, deep look, and Hunter smiled. It had been two weeks since Cam had had his fateful conversation with his father, which fortunately ended in Sensei welcoming the Crimson Ranger into their family. Their relationship was flourishing, but they still had yet to make the official announcement to the team. Cam simply wasn't ready yet, and Hunter didn't mind; he was going with the flow, namely Cam's flow. And as long as things were fine between _them_, he really didn't care who knew, or who didn't.  
Suddenly, Cam nudged Hunter's arm and looked down. Hunter followed his gaze to find Cam holding a key card out to him. His room key. Hunter raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he reached for it automatically and quickly slipped it into his pocket before anyone noticed the exchange. The two young men looked into each other's eyes. They had gotten pretty good at reading the other's expressions, and now their eyes spoke to each other. "_Are you sure?_" Hunter asked silently.

"_Oh, yeah,_" Cam's eyes answered him.

"Now I almost feel like a groupie," the Crimson Ranger mumbled.

Cam grinned. "Well, rest assured that you'd be the only member of the 'Cam Fanclub' who'll be let in."

Hunter chuckled as he scuffled next to Cam, hands jammed into his jeans pockets with his fingers curled tightly around the card. He opened his mouth, but there was no opportunity for asking when he should come over, for suddenly Dustin and Blake, apparently in need of a mediator after their argument about the perfect air pressure of their motorcycle tires had gotten somewhat heated, literally jumped him simultaneously while trying to shout over each other.

"Dude, your brother just won't believe me! I say it depends on the track conditions. You can't just go with a standard p.s.i. of…"

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't believe you, but everybody knows that you always start off with 12 pounds of air, and then…"

Hunter rolled his eyes, gave Cam a crooked grin and let himself be dragged off by his two motocross pals. Cam shook his head, smiling to himself, and moved off towards the hotel's main entrance. _See you later…_

**Unintentional voyeurism…**

Kelly had asked them all to _pleeaase_ turn in early tonight, so that they would all be well rested for their races in the morning, but sleep was the last thing on Hunter's mind as he leaned against the window frame in his room, staring out onto the parking lot. Not that there was much to see out there, now that night had descended upon the town, but right now the Crimson Ranger wouldn't have noticed it if Lothor's entire evil army marched across every parked car outside at this very moment.

His mind was four doors down the hall.

He held the key card up, twirling it between his fingers. The implication, along with the look Cam had given him earlier on, was clear. So if Cam was ready to spend the entire night with him, then he, Hunter, should be nothing but happy about that, right?

_So why am I so nervous all of a sudden?_ he wondered. Suddenly he felt like a schoolboy on his first date. It wasn't the physical part of it all; Hunter was quite confident in his performance abilities, even though it had been a while. But he was still worried about possibly endangering their relationship by pushing Cam into something he wasn't ready to do yet. _Or was he now?_

"Only one way to find out," Hunter mumbled as he resolutely pushed away from the window and made his way out the door before he changed his mind.

There was no one in the hallway, so Hunter felt no need to rush as he approached Cam's door. After only a moment's hesitation, he shoved the key card into the slot and pushed the door open.

"Cam?" he called softly.

No answer, but he heard the water rushing the moment he called Cam's name. The bathroom was just off to the left of him, the door half ajar. And before he knew it, his body was moving towards the source of the running water entirely of its own volition.

The bathroom was steamier than the Amazon rainforest, the mirror over the sink completely fogged. Apparently, Cam liked his showers hot, really hot.

The Samurai amulet was laying next to the sink, and for a moment Hunter had the craziest notion that it knew he was there, was watching him.

In lieu of a bathtub, there was a glass-enclosed shower cubicle, equally steamed up, but nevertheless Hunter could make out the figure inside quite clearly.

Cam was in full profile, facing the wall, left hand pressed against the tiles. His head was down, the water cascading down his neck and back, while his right hand was slowly moving through his soaked hair. His right leg stuck out at an angle, obscuring Hunter's view of what had been the Crimson Ranger's secret desire for a long time, but presenting him instead with a full eyeful of a perfectly round buttock, a beautifully sculpted thigh, and long, muscular legs.

It was the sexiest sight Hunter had ever seen. Absolute turn-on.

He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone completely dry, and his heart was thumping so wildly that he was afraid it would break through his ribcage.

Now Cam's head rose slowly, up towards the jets. Eyes closed, lips slightly parted, he let the hot water pummel his face, and Hunter could take it no more.

Before he lost his last bit of self-control, tore off his clothes and seriously invaded Cam's personal space in that shower, Hunter did the only other thing he could do; retreat.

He backed away from the door frame and out into the hallway. The hotel room door was only a few steps away, and he reached blindly behind him for the doorknob. Once outside in the foyer, he pulled the door shut with exaggerated care, and immediately turned back towards his own room, staggering the four doors down the hall, still breathing hard.  
'_Back later_…_'_ was all his fogged mind could produce right now.

He needed a shower himself now; an ice-cold one.

**Blake's take on things…**

When he got to his room, however, he found that Blake was in the bathroom.

So much for that shower.

Hunter slumped onto his bed, propped his back against the headboard, and closed his eyes.

Immediately, the image of that naked body in the shower was crystal clear behind his eyelids. _Ok, this wasn't helping at all._

The bathroom door opened and Blake stepped out, clad in navy swimming trunks and a loose tank top. "Hey."

Hunter lifted his chin in greeting. "Where do you think you're going? They don't have a pool here."

"Nope, but there's an oversized Jacuzzi in the back," Blake answered with a sheepish grin. "I'm meeting Tori there."

"Hope you kept that secret from Red and Yellow," Hunter exclaimed.

Blake snorted. "'course! I intend to be the only one with hairy legs in that tub."

The two brothers exchanged grins before Blake slung a towel over his shoulder and went for the door.

"Blake?"

The Navy Ranger paused, his hand on the doorknob. "Yeah, bro?"

"If I'm not here when you get back…" Hunter began.

Blake's expression spoke volumes. "Don't worry, I won't wait up for you." He was halfway out the door before he stuck his head back in, pearly whites flashing. "Just make sure you can still walk tomorrow morning, ok?"

The pillow hit the door just as Blake pulled it shut.

**Cam's room, second try…**

Cam was sitting at the edge of his bed, flipping disinterestedly through the TV channels when he heard the knock on the door. With a small frown he switched off the tube, flipped the remote onto the bed and went towards the door.

"What happened to your key?" he asked after he had backed away from the entrance to let Hunter into the room. A flicker of hesitancy came across the Crimson Ranger's face before he answered. "Oh, I have it, but I didn't just…wanna walk in on you, you know?"  
Cam could have sworn he saw Hunter's mouth curl upwards for the briefest second, but decided not to get into it. He was far too happy to see him here to think about mysterious facial expressions.

Before the door had even fallen shut, the two men were already embracing. Their lips came together tenderly and Cam's grip around Hunter's waist tightened. His mouth opened, eagerly welcoming the Crimson Ranger's tongue inside. Their kissing went on for a while as both men simply enjoyed each other's presence and the luxury of some solitary time together.

With the increased fighting lately, Cam had been much busier than usual with the maintenance of the Zords and all the other equipment. Blake's, Dustin's and Hunter's spare time had mostly been spent practicing for the Action Games tomorrow, so there had hardly been any opportunity for the two of them to spend any time together.

Which made the undisturbed hours ahead of them even more precious.

When they broke the kiss, Hunter regarded the long-sleeved, deep green shirt Cam was wearing. "Nice shirt."

"You like it?" Cam grinned. "I wasn't crazy about it at first, but then I saw the name of the color and I just had to get it."

Hunter gave him a puzzled look. "And just what _is_ the name of the color?"

"It's called 'hunter-green'."

The Thunder Ninja's mouth quirked. "Now I like it even more."

He leaned in for another kiss, but Cam took a step forward instead, and Hunter let himself be pressed against the wall. He felt a knee between his legs, then Cam's mouth was at his neck. Automatically, he tilted his head as heat rose in him, and his pulse quickened.

It was unusual for Cam to take the initiative like that, and Hunter found that he liked that change.

But even with all the obvious evidence, he still had to quiet the tiny nagging voice in his head. He had to ask. "Cam, you really want me to stay tonight?" he breathed.

"Uhumm," came the muffled answer from just beneath his ear.

"I don't want you to jump on this just because of an 'undisturbed night' opportunity."

Cam pulled back from his neck and looked at him. "Hunter, I can get a room at a hotel in Blue Bay Harbor for us any day, so that's not it at all." The samurai's honest gaze was fixed on the blond man. "I just know it's time for more."

"No philosophical musings, Zen quotations, or mathematical analyses?" Hunter mocked him playfully.

Cam rolled his eyes before a grin crossed his face. "No, just you, me, a locked door and…" A quick glance at the bedside clock. "Ten hours until you have to be at the track."

Hunter slipped his hands into the back pockets of Cam's jeans. "Well, I have a few ideas of what we can do until then, but sleep would be at the bottom of that list."

"Well, maybe you should follow up on those ideas," Cam said huskily.

And Hunter did. Suddenly his mouth seemed to be everywhere at once; on Cam's neck, earlobe, jaw, throat…Cam closed his eyes, giving himself over to mindless bliss. His skin seemed to tingle in the aftermath of the Thunder Ninja's caresses.

"Maybe I'm coming down with a fever, but I really think it's getting hot in here," he said breathlessly after a while.

Hunter didn't even blink. "That's because you're wearing way too many clothes," he replied smoothly, and immediately went on to unbutton Cam's shirt. The samurai's bare chest was smooth and warm and Hunter surged against him with renewed hunger.

Cam tried to mold himself to the Crimson Ranger, but there was still too much clothing between them, so he backed off a bit instead.

"I didn't know you were a baseball fan," Cam pointed to his crimson 'St. Louis Cardinals' sweatshirt.

"I'm not," Hunter grinned. "Just liked the color, that's all."

"It looks good on you, but…" Cam threw the drab brown carpet a quick glance, then turned back to Hunter with a mischievous smile. "…it would look even better on the floor." And without warning he grabbed the sweatshirt with both hands and pulled it up. The Crimson Ranger's half-hearted protests were muffled as Cam pulled the garment over Hunter's head in one swift motion. As soon as his face popped free from the collar, Cam pressed his mouth to his.

Neither of them bothered to check whether a crimson sweatshirt really complimented a brown carpet.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Chapter 2

**Finally…**

Not much later, two pairs of jeans had joined the shirts on the floor, equally discarded and forgotten.

Cam and Hunter were laying on the bed, now only wearing their boxer shorts. A few moments before, Cam had reached for the Crimson Ranger's belt and as they gazed into each other's eyes, an understanding passed between them that needed no more words.

Hunter had reached out as well, and a moment later the Green Ranger's jeans were also sliding down his hips.

Now with only the thin fabric of their boxer shorts between them, their desire for each other was even more obvious, and with a mindless need for more, Cam pressed himself tightly to Hunter, eliciting a groan from him. The Thunder Ranger pressed back immediately. "Cam, I'm not gonna be able to stop this time," Hunter's voice was hoarse with excitement.

In response, Cam slid his knee in between Hunter's legs. "I don't want you to," he replied, eyes dark, wide and honest. "Because I won't stop either."

Another kiss followed and they stayed locked in their embrace until Hunter slid his hand down Cam's thigh. Cam heard the Thunder Ninja whisper something that sounded like his name, and then the hand on his thigh slid inside his shorts. Cam couldn't stifle the small moan as Hunter's fingers encircled him and began to stroke him slowly and gingerly. He raised his hips and wiggled out of his underwear.

With an appreciative look on his face, Hunter's eyes took in his boyfriend's body. Cam was lean rather than muscular, but his appearance belied the power that lay within this body. Hunter, though, was very aware of this power, for he had seen Cam in action plenty of times. He had never told Cam this, but he loved watching the Green Ranger fight. It was just too damn sexy. Hunter himself was fighting _right now_, against the surge of desire that threatened to overwhelm him for this man.

He backed off a bit, taking slow, deep breaths. This was for Cam, after all.

Cam met his boyfriend's eyes, and the nakedness he suddenly felt went way beyond physical; it was as if his mind and soul were equally laid bare. This would normally have been a disquieting thing for him, but his feelings for Hunter were stronger, quickly overcoming those old reservations.

He was about to reach for Hunter, but the Crimson Ranger caught his wrist, smiled and shook his head. "Not yet."

Gently but insistently he pushed Cam onto his back. "Just lay back and enjoy, ok?"

And, excruciatingly slowly, Hunter's hands and mouth went to work.

A few moments later Cam discovered sensations he didn't know his body was capable of producing.

If a fortune teller would have told him a year ago that he would end up in bed with another man, letting him do the things Hunter was doing to him right now, he most likely would have laughed her off and asked her for his money back.

_Now_ he was only wondering why they hadn't done this much sooner.

He reached out blindly, fingers curling around unruly, dirty-blond hair while with his other hand he grabbed a pillow and squeezed it so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white. His body was in flames, awash with feelings so new, so exquisite, that there was no way he could last much longer.

Cam groaned. He could feel the pressure reaching its limit…was he supposed to give at least some sort of warning? He had no idea; his brain had been effectively shut off.

"Hunter…" But Hunter didn't need any warning; he was ready.

"_Oh god…_" Cam's cry was cut off as colors exploded behind his closed eyelids, and the world around him shook to its core.

**And then…**

When he was once again aware of his surroundings, and it felt safe enough for him to open his eyes, the first thing he saw was Hunter's face hovering over him.

"You all right?" His lover's eyes were like two sapphire spheres, the many emotions behind them plainly visible. Cam reached out and pulled Hunter on top of him. "Better than all right." He kissed him long and deep, tasted a hint of himself, and words like 'strange' and 'embarrassed' suddenly vanished from his mind. They stayed locked in their embrace for a while, simply kissing, until the hard bulge pressing against the inside of Cam's thigh reminded him that there was still unfinished business to be dealt with.

It was time. He knew he could do this, _yearned _to return the pleasure he had received. Hunter had shown him the way, had given him the courage …Cam flexed his muscles and flipped Hunter over onto his back, effectively reversing their positions. Hunter grunted with surprise, but Cam's tongue in his mouth stifled anything more verbal. Hips and mouths grinding together, they kissed for a few more moments, before Cam tugged at the waistband of Hunter's boxers. Hunter pushed up just a bit, and Cam slid the shorts over his hips and down his legs in one swift motion.

The Crimson Ranger lay motionless, simply enjoying the sensations Cam's ministrations elicited from him. Hunter felt a joy he had never experienced before. Moments ago he had made love to Cam and now Cam was getting ready to make love to him.

And love it was. Hunter had known it for a while that he loved Cam.

They hadn't said the three words to each other yet, but they would eventually.

No need to rush. They had all the time in the world, after all. And what was happening right now was more than enough. Matter of fact, if _this_ wasn't heaven, then he couldn't imagine what was.

Suddenly Cam looked up, and Hunter saw such passion in those beautiful almond eyes that his heart seemed to stop for an instant.

It took only another moment to finally push him over the edge.

**Morning After…**

An annoying buzzing sound slowly wormed its way into Cam's consciousness.

The phone. He cracked one eye open and raised his hand to reach for it, but found that he couldn't move because of the body that was half draped over him. Hunter was nestled into the crook of his arm, head turned towards him, an arm slung across his waist. Cam smiled as he looked into the face of his lover, whose blue eyes were just now opening, blinking sleepily.

When was the last time he had woken up naked in bed with anybody and felt so wonderful about it? Cam seriously couldn't remember.

He stretched, managed to knock the receiver off the handle and brought it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he said thickly.

"Cam?" Blake's voice came through the receiver. "Sorry to wake you, bro, but I just wanted to make sure you guys remembered that we're all meeting for breakfast at nine."

Cam looked at the bedside alarm clock. 8.30am. "It's a good thing you _did_ call, then."

"Hey, won't you come over and pick me up when you're both ready, ok?" Blake said.

Blake was giving them a chance to re-group at the Bradley room, so the three of them could show up for breakfast together. Cam smiled at Blake's regard for their discretion.

"Will do. Thanks, Blake."

"No sweat. See you in a few."

Cam hung up the phone and turned towards Hunter. "Good morning," he smiled.

Hunter grinned back and stretched his lanky frame. "Yup, it's definitely good."

Their mouths came together for a lingering kiss.

Neither one of them was in the least inclined to move from under the warm covers, for the remnants of sleep still lingered with them. Their lovemaking the night before had been clean and unsoiled in spirit, yet sweaty and messy in practice, and afterwards they had fallen into the kind of dead sleep that only came from complete drainage and exhaustion. They hadn't tried _everything_ yet, but they had come close, and Cam had been nothing less than astounded at the ease with which he acquainted himself with this new intimacy.

"Your brother's got our backs," the samurai said when they finally pulled apart.

"That's my bro. But that doesn't mean he won't try to grind my face into the dirt on the track later on." Hunter's fingers were drawing lazy circles on Cam's chest.

Cam grinned, but let out a sigh at the same time. "Kind of makes me wish I had a brother, too."

"You have. You just talked to him," Hunter said without missing a beat.

Cam gazed at him, and his eyes shone with the knowledge of what Hunter had just implied.

Suddenly, a mischievous grin appeared on the Crimson Ranger's face, his hand on Cam's chest moving lower, but Cam grabbed it quickly. "You start anything, and we'll totally miss breakfast."

Hunter glanced at the clock, and let out an exaggerated sigh.

Cam reached out and smoothed a few stray strands of blond hair out of his boyfriend's eyes. "Hey, at least we still have time to shower."

Hunter's eyes glinted. "But only for one shower."

Cam wiggled his eyebrows. "So what are we waiting for, then?"

Laughing, they made their way out from under the comforter and into the bathroom.

Moments later they were soaping each other up under the hot jets of Cam's shower.

The samurai dodged another one of Hunter's playful grabs between his legs.

"You must not be hungry," he exclaimed with mock sternness.

The blond man's face was inches from his own. "Oh, I'm starving. Just not for food."

Cam closed the short distance between their mouths with a wet kiss.

"So how do we explain our wet hair and the fact that we smell the same?" Hunter wanted to know when they parted again.

Cam did a pretty good imitation of his lover's lopsided grin. "I don't think anyone will notice the scent, and as for the hair…there's this thing called a hairdryer," he replied.

Hunter grinned back. "Never heard of it."

"Why am I not surprised?"

They finished their shower, but just as Cam was about to open the glass door, Hunter held him back. The Thunder Ninja's face was suddenly solemn.

"So you don't regret last night?"

Cam was surprised at this question, but he shook his head. "Not a minute of it," he answered him honestly and ran his knuckles gently over Hunter's cheek.

"Matter of fact, I think life will only get better from here on."

**Epilogue…**

Two days later…

Hunter found Cam sitting on the floor in the middle of the wrecked Ninja Ops command center. The Asian man's back was turned to the stairs, but Hunter could pretty much gage Cam's mood by the way his shoulders slumped. The former Green Samurai Ranger, now stripped of his powers just like the rest of the Power Rangers team, had to have heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs, but didn't even turn around. Hunter circled around him until he stood directly in his line of vision.

"Cam?"

But Cam was staring straight ahead, at some point past the Thunder Ninja's shoulder. Hunter crouched down, ignoring the mess all around him as he peered into his boyfriend's stony face. He was just about to repeat his name when Cam opened his mouth. "I just can't believe it's all gone. The Megazord, my entire computer set-up, CyberCam, the Ranger Powers…" His voice was monotone and as emotionless as his features. His eyes, however, were anything but. And the expression he saw there chilled Hunter to his core.

Cam looked…crushed.

Cam was still staring straight ahead, wouldn't meet his eyes. "This is all I could salvage." He lifted his hand in a weak gesture, and Hunter noticed for the first time the small pile of gadgets stacked next to the samurai. "I combed this entire place, and this is all I could friggin' find that might still be functional."

Hunter's forehead furrowed deeply. Cam never swore. This only showed him the dire emotional state his partner was in. Hunter reached out and clasped Cam's shoulders. "Cam, look at me."

He had to repeat the sentence before Cam's head finally turned and his eyes focused on him. The two ex-Rangers looked at each other, and Hunter emphasized his words carefully. "Aren't you forgetting something? Lothor is gone, too. For good this time." Hunter's gaze was intense; he wanted to make sure he got through to Cam. "The schools are back, all the ninjas are safe, your father is back in his human form…" The Thunder Ninja poured all of his conviction into his short speech. "In light of all that, I think sacrificing the Ranger powers was a relatively small price to pay."

Cam stared at him wordlessly for so long that Hunter wondered if he had even heard him.

But then he nodded slowly. "Of course. You're right." The samurai sighed. "The Rangers have fulfilled their destinies after all. I should be happy about that."

He couldn't have looked more dejected.

Hunter took his hands off Cam's shoulders, and his eyes couldn't help but to dart to the empty spot on his wrist. There was no point in wearing the morphers anymore.

"I miss it, too, Cam," he confessed. "especially the powers…"

Cam gave a little shake of his head. "And I had just started getting used to it all."

"Even the outfit," he added with a sad smile.

Hunter's own grin came out somewhat distorted as well. "You looked good in it, too."

His fingers brushed against Cam's cheek briefly. "But then again, you look good in just about everything. Doesn't necessarily have to be green spandex."

That finally got a small chuckle out of Cam. But it was short-lived, and before long the samurai's face had resumed its gloomy expression once again. "I can't help but wonder how life would have turned out if Lothor had never shown up at all."

Hunter's reply was prompt. "Well, I'm pretty sure that Dustin, Shane and Tori would have been expelled from the Wind Academy by now, and you would most likely be head teacher." With a wink he added, "But since that's what you are now anyways…"

The corners of Cam's mouth lifted a bit. "You didn't do so bad yourself in that respect," he said and nodded towards the symbol of the Thunder Academy Head Teacher stitched onto Hunter's uniform lapel.

The Thunder Ninja looked a bit sheepish. "Yeah, who would have thought, hu? A year ago I didn't even think I would ever graduate."

There were a few moments of silence before Hunter continued. "But, you know, with all the crap Lothor has put us through, there's one thing I am grateful to him for."

Cam gave him a knowing look, but Hunter said it anyways. "If Lothor had never attacked the schools, then you and I would have never happened."

Cam nodded determinedly. "You're right," he said.

"Of course I am." That cocky grin was showing up on Hunter's face again.

But Cam's own smile was coming easier now; it actually reached his eyes. "I'm so glad you're not conceited at all."

Hunter snorted in reply and punched his boyfriend playfully on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure that one day you'll figure out a way of getting the old toys that are still left in the Zord Bay to work again. And when you do, then we'll take a spin in the samurai chopper every now and then, just for kicks."

Cam held his partner's gaze. "I might just do that," he said softly.

Hunter watched the samurai's face carefully. "Look, as hard as this may sound…The Ranger part of our lives is over. Now we have to work on making the next part work and the sooner we get on it, the faster we can have some sense of normalcy back." He shrugged. "Or as normal as the lives of two head teachers of secret ninja training academies can get."

He rose in one graceful, fluid motion and extended his hand. "Now come on. By now you have already stretched the limits of my psycho-analytical abilities as it is. Plus there are a lot of people topside who could use our help. We have two schools to re-build, after all."

Cam was only too happy to grasp the offered hand and let himself be pulled up. The two partners embraced in a companionable hug, and Cam grinned. "All right, Dr. Freud, let's get going. Lots of work to do up there."

They left the destruction of Ninja Ops behind and ascended the stairs towards the sunlight side by side.

THE END

If you enjoyed this story and would like to read my original, NC-17 version of it, you can find it at Cmar's www. Rangerfiction . net website

Please be aware that the sexual scenes in that version are a bit more graphic.

You have been warned!


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